Turning your man cave into a pub is a very popular thing to do. Pubs come in quite a few varieties; English, British and of course Irish. Even though they all originate in the U.K. they are a little bit different. Let’s explore what makes an Irish pub Irish and how you can get the same atmosphere in your man cave.
9 Ways to turn your man cave Irish
Check out the of Irish pubs pictures below. If you can’t see them. Check out this Pinterest link.
Looking at those pictures, we can see a few common themes. Here are some simple (but not always easy) ways to turn your man cave into your own personal Irish pub. Implementing these things will give you a very Irish feel in your man cave.
Keep in mind, these are NOT things you can quickly do for a St. Patrick’s day celebration. They are more permanent decorations and will take more than a day to put up and take down. Of course it is very possible to put some extra decorations on top of these things for special celebrations. Having a good base will only enhance these decorations and atmosphere.
1. Wooden Furniture
Similar to the English pub there should be a ton of wood in your Irish pub. Tables, floors, chairs, shelves, etc. All of these should be made out mostly dark stained wood. Some black metal to hold everything together is acceptable. Possibly some leather upholstery on the chairs to make them a bit more comfortable.
If you could only choose one item to be made of wood, choose the bar. The top and the sides of your bar should be made of dark stained wood. Since the bar is something that is a central piece in your man cave, it catches a lot of eyes. That means this is a very important part to get right.
For more information about what you need for your own home bar, click here.
2. Old Items
Irish pubs often have old items hanging on the wall, often from an agricultural background. An old wooden wagon wheel, tools and/or old signs. Sometimes you can also see things like old sewing machines, decorative plates and other kitchen appliances.
If you can find any that are actually Irish, that’s great. Otherwise items that are local to your location or belonged to your family are great as well.
3. Irish beer sign
No pub is complete without a beer sign. Luckily Ireland has a ton of beer brands to choose from. The most famous being Guinness with others like Murphy’s and Kilkenny not far behind.
All beer brands have plenty of merchandize to decorate your Irish man cave with.
Pub sign
You want your man cave to look like a real pub? You need a pub sign to make it look official. You’ve got a few options. The several beer brands make several cool pub signs.
Metal wall decorations
The other type of signs is a metal wall sign. These come in an even larger variety. Not only do all the different beer, whiskey and other brands have these types of signs, but there are also plenty of others.
The obvious choice for an Irish pub is to go for signs that feature Irish brands.
Suggestions;
- Guinness
- Kilkenny
- Jameson
- Murphy’s
- Smithwick’s
- Tullamore D.E.W.
Also take a look at this article for a larger variety of signs.
4. Personalized signs
If you don’t like to go too heavy on the alcohol/commercial signs, maybe a nice personalized sign is the thing for you.
You can personalize pub signs, metal signs and other wooden signs.
There are some people that make really cool handmade and personalizable. You can add your own name and possibly a phrase or estimation year.
Check these out on Amazon. This one is made in the U.S.A. and has two places you can personalize to your taste.
5. Dark green paint
Of course you need some green in your Irish pub. The connection between the Irish and the color green goes deeper than the color of the drinks on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s actually connected to the Great Irish Rebellion of 1641 where Catholics rose up against the (protestant) English crown. The color has been used in other political events later on as well.
Many Irish pubs have deep dark green painted walls and ceilings. Picking the right colors will massively help getting the Irish vibe into your man cave. Even though people might not remember the political connections today, the color is still a strong indicator of all things Irish.
6. Draught beer
You can’t have an Irish pub with Budweiser. It’s just not right. You need a proper Irish beer, preferably on tap. Ireland is home to many wonderful and tasty beers, you’ll be able to find something you like.
To have Draught beer at home, you need a kegerator. Check out this article to find out more.
A kegerator will nicely complete the bar look. A bar without tap is barely a bar at all. Once you’ve got the kegerator, you’ve got to locate a place that sells kegs of your favorite Irish beer.
Of course you can change your beer after you finish the keg for more variety. Just don’t forget to clean the lines in between kegs.
7. Flag
Since we’re going with a national theme, why not include a flag? It’s easy and looks great. You can either go for the official Irish national flag or something that is typical Irish. Flags are a very obvious way to get people to associate a place with a certain nationality.
If you’re not actually Irish and/or you feel uncomfortable with hanging the flag of a nation you’ve got no connections to in your house, you can go for a flag that is less strictly related to the nation of Ireland.
You could either opt for a flag with the shamrock or harp symbols. These are very recognizable Irish symbols that will make clear what the theme you’re going for is supposed to be. (Although it should be pretty clear from your other decorations.)
Check out this green flag that features the harp symbol for example. (Amazon link)
8. Family coat of arms
If you’re actually Irish and your family has a coat of arms, this is the perfect place to put it. Of course you can put it on countless items if you’d like. If you’ve got a digital version of the coat of arms you can print it on everything you want; Posters, clock, t-shirts, mugs, etc.
Of course it’s even better if you’ve got an authentic and/or historical piece. If you’re proud of your family or even just want to remember your ancestry, having a decoration like this is a great way to show something that reminds you every time.
9. Portraits of famous Irish’
Pubs often have some portraits of famous people on the walls. Why not have some admirable Irish on the wall of your man cave pub?
Your man cave is a place where you can be a man. So let’s take a look at some Irish men that we can (probably) learn something from.
- St.
Patrick
- Also known as “Apostle of Ireland”. A 5th century missionary and bishop that is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Although today he’s more remembered as a day on which you are supposed to get drunk off of green drinks.
- Oscar
Wilde
- Famous 19th century poet and playwright, born in Dublin.
- Ernest
Shackleton
- Most well-known for his polar explorations. He led three expeditions to the Antartic, receiving royal and public attention upon return.
- Conor
McGregor
- Featherweight UFC fighter. Mainly famous for his boxing fight against Floyd Mayweather. Even though he lost that fight, his performance was still somewhat of a moral victory and made Irish around the world proud.
- Liam
Neeson
- Famous actor from Northern Ireland. Nominated for several movie awards.
- Your
ancestors
- If you’ve got any ancestors you’re proud to be a descendant of, why not give them a place here. It makes things very personal.
There are probably plenty more famous Irish I’ve missed, feel free to choose your own. Get a nice photograph or other picture to hang on the wall of your Irish pub cave.
Make sure to get a nice frame for your portraits. A good frame makes any picture look better.
